Memories
by Helst
Summary: Memories were all she had of her old sweetheart love. But when she is robbed of them to fuel a vengeance, relationships tangle and trouble ensues. Will team 7 ever be right again? SasuSaku, SaiSaku. Rewritten!
1. Chapter 1: Wake Up Call

Chapter 1 : Wake up call

It was a beautiful spring afternoon as it had been the past week. The usual chirping of birds in the trees, the distant mutterings of people going about their usual business as the morning sun drifted high into the sky , it's radiance sparkling down and reflecting off the clear windows. Or more specifically, reflecting off her window. A stray ray of light shone through, bouncing off her various stainless steel kitchenwares before landing squarely on her securely shut eyelids. She had fallen asleep on her kitchen table yet again for the third time this week as she sat there waiting for the kettle to boil, a mug with a lonely dry tea bag stuffed inside it still sitting in her loose grasp. Usually it would have only been a matter of time before the intensity of the light was enough to disturb her slumber but today, she did not even stir. Only her pink locks thrown carelessly over her face moved in rhythm with her deep breathing. It was almost a scary sight- one may have even imagined murder over her almost lifeless form but on a day so bright as today, no one would bother peeking through her top floor flat window. So she sat there, as still as a statue until the sun had finally hit its peak and an intruding shadow cast over her window.

On the rarest occasion when Sai would ever show any kind of genuine emotion was when he was surprised by an impromptu enemy attack or when a golden haired loudmouth explained pesky things called feelings (borne from natural human nature he himself was incapable of recognizing) as easy as breathing. So when Sai had stood by the small red bridge waiting for his teammate/friend/hag for over two hours drawing the drifting river beneath his feet with equal fluidity of his brush with no interruptions he was moderately surprised. If the hag was anything, she was punctual and if she was late it had a solid reason unlike the vague lies fed to him perpetually by his silver haired senpai.

Having filled a thick scroll with realistic images of the river, he finally set down his brush and watched the shadows of the trees surrounding him. By the angles of the shadows being cast, he could easily tell it was near midday- way past their arranged meeting hour. He did not click his tongue in annoyance, nor did he fret over her safety imagining impossible plans of kidnap and disaster like some did. He merely packed his brush carefully in his pouch and began walking to her flat, a distant "smile" constructed on his pale face.

Despite being skillful as a shinobi and teamed in the most famous team of the whole village, Sai was not known very well to the villagers. Old habits from his past ANBU days kept him naturally reserved about his real thoughts and intentions but the villagers thought otherwise. They were already wary of such traits since previous examples of naturally reserved personalities had caused nothing but pain and left naught but a trail of destruction. He unluckily suffered from vile precedence courtesy of the Uchiha brothers. Whether they assumed he would be yet another one of those disturbed quiet people or not was no matter of importance to him personally but he was aware of the effects this would have on the reliability and creditability of ninjas who made a living making deals with villagers to do their tasks for them. He rationally decided to take a leaf out of Naruto's book and plastered a friendly smile on his face. If this could be considered training, he was prepared to do it properly. The fact that after only 3 years of constant smiling in the exact same manner and degree of happiness gave him the adjective "creepy" a testimony of his diligence. Even today as he weaved his way between the villagers out grocery shopping, he gave them smiles, wondering all the same why people would consider him creepy. It made no sense to him at all. For all he cared anyway. Stepping up his pace, he made his way to the grey building in the distance.

The door was tightly shut and locked securely. The security man had remembered her trudging home. The bell buzzed loud enough for the next door neighbor to walk out in confusion but he heard no response. It was all very illogical that his teammate should not open the door and greet him under such circumstances. He knew from past experiences that 3 buzzes were enough to fly her into her infamous raging temper let alone wake her. Should he break in? That was something only a person as impulsive as Naruto would do. …Was that the natural humane response? But Kakashi senpai stopped Naruto from bombing her door open. So breaking in wasn't the right course of action to take? How had other people done this? Kakashi-senpai usually just sat outside waiting for the girl to wake up on her own, idly flipping through his book. Neji would use his bloodline limit to check if she were in the house and knock continuously like the mannered man he was raised to be until she opened. Sai had nothing but respect for Neji's perseverance and stamina to knock for a full hour. These were the better examples. More ninja like in their discreetness. Though it was discreet only when compared to Ino's preferred method. She would yell and threaten mercilessly at the door effectively waking everyone in the whole building including the subject of her rants. He was curiously confused and mulled over his options without realizing he had been contemplating on the subject for the past half hour at least before resorting to Shizune's idea of walking horizontally to the building's side to the only window the flat possessed and tapping or breaking it down. Putting his plan straight into action, he stepped onto the wall with thoughtless but practiced precision and easily walked around in search of the window. His gravity defying performance was earning him a few shouted remarks regarding his sanity but wisely choosing to block them out, he finally found the elusive window and crossed over to it. The distinct pink painted windowsill stood out from the other blandly colored windowsills, not to mention the smell of medicinal herbs growing thicker as he closed in proof he had indeed found the right window. He peered in and sure enough he saw a mass of pink sprawled over the table. He saw the mug in her hand quite empty and guessed she had fallen into deep sleep straight after returning home from a long grueling day of work at the hospital and felt the corners of his mouth twitch minutely. He dug for a kunai from his pouch and scratched at the edges of the lock but when the window creaked threateningly but did not budge, he decided to do this Naruto style, just how she likes it. Casting a black shadow as he stood over the window, he readied his position, shifting his weight on one foot before pulling back the other. He breathed in, then the next second, shoved his foot through the glass.

Hope you enjoyed this- I've rewritten it and hopefully will be writing a bit more consistently this time.

Best Wishes – Helst.


	2. Chapter 2 : Of Mugs and Cups and Danger

_If you thought the way I did, _

_Rolled your eyes the way I did, _

_Twisted your heart the way I did… We just might've gotten along._

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A resounding crash of glass breaking and old wooden windowsill flying off with it was enough to give any one a jump start to their day; including hers. Sai was cheered with the success he had as her green emerald eyes snapped wide open and alert at the sound as her nimble fingers flew to her thigh in search of a weapon. But as her mind woke and registered the "enemy" smiling mechanically in front of her and the window she had cleaned so carefully to the edges just a few days ago blown to pieces decorating her floor, she froze.

As calm as she could, she managed to whisper a hoarse "What are you doing here?" before coughing clutching her dry throat.

"We were supposed to meet a few hours ago but you didn't turn up. So I thought I'd come in and remind… you… of our… meeting?" His sentence broke off uncertainly as the young woman steadily got to her feet and walked towards him like a lifeless zombie. With her hair knotted and tousled around her face and dark circle rimmed eyes fixed on him, he couldn't help take a tentative step back until his back pressed against the sink. A few slow steps later, she stood directly ahead of him. He stood rooted to the spot unable to make any rational sense out of her behavior- until she wordlessly held out her mug to him. Sai's mind frantically tried to piece together her bizarre actions into making some sense. Was she asking him to give her water? Perfectly plausible- she really did look like a dehydrated hag. So was he supposed to-

Boom!

…Ahh. So she wanted to hit him.

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Sakura surveyed the mug in her had critically. A deep crack had chipped its way through the entire mug and she sighed at the prospect of having to throw it out. She quite liked that mug- it was the 7th one she bought to replace the ones she had punched into intruding friends and seven was a fond number to her. Not to mention the fact that the shop keeper had guaranteed her 10 years with that mug. He's said it with a Gai-like zeal (and a Gai-like thumbs up to which she almost felt obliged to ask whether he was related to the Green Beast or not) she took his word for it. It lasted her barely 2 weeks.

Well it may have lasted the promised 10 years if she could control her temper a little better. …But the sight of her pale teammate cringing on the floor was probably worth the 9 years and 50 weeks the mug just lost.

Still quite pissed by his unbelievable choice of entry, Sakura was unfazed when Sai looked up at her in pain. She would ignore him- how dare he break into a lady's house? He should've knocked on the door or pressed her bell or he should've –

Contrary to her dark mood she was already grinning guiltily and making her way to him.

…Damn her medic instincts.

Sakura stepped gingerly over the stray pieces of glass and wood before kneeling by her fallen comrade. He did not look in pain anymore though he was now noticeably wary of her and her mug. She inwardly sighed at her short temper and quickly treated the skin that was threatening to bloom a bruise. A quick brush of her hand across his exposed abdomen was all she needed- after many years of training under the best medic and the leader of the fire country, a minor injury like this required only minimal chakra and almost no thought. But she healed him slower than she could have; unconsciously feeling a slight flutter in her chest at the touch of solid built muscle under the firm stretch of surprisingly warm skin.

Most of her shinobi patients had bodies as well built as this as could be expected from a lifestyle as rigorous as theirs. The same went with the majority of males who had been forced into surrendering their beer bellies and potato couch lifestyles to turn the interest of the female villagers back onto them. But Sakura couldn't help admire the pale body just that little bit more. Perhaps because the said body belonged to a charcoal haired man and reminded her of another just like him, she never knew. Regardless, Sakura took her time until the skin had (to her disappointment) responded quickly to her chakra and repaired perfectly.

She briefly patted the healed skin as if to test the validity of her work and nodded satisfactorily to herself.

"You're good as new." She smiled at him and he simply smiled back at her.

"Thank you, hag."

A cracking punch quickly followed his reply.

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"So why are we being called into the tower?" Sakura asked cheerfully as her poor teammate trudged along her rather mournfully rubbing his aching head.

"The Hokage-sama requested we come by her office by noon today for a mission briefing. In case your large forehead is useless and incapable of remembering the finer details, you were the one who said we should meet up earlier to catch a late breakfast together before we head up there together since we're both in the mission." He replied smoothly, a constructed smile replacing his initial frown as they passed the bakery. A vein literally popped at the forehead comment, but she decided to let it slide. She wasn't going to waste her strength on him any more than she had to.

Though it would let her touch his beautiful abs again…

Oh Lord. She inwardly slapped herself. She did not just think of groping her teammate's abs.

Exhaling controlled breaths, it must be fatigue from work last night, she told herself. She should see to her roster as soon as she could; these thoughts were rather alarming. It had only been a few years since her teen sweetheart left the village and already her "love" for him was dying and instead fluttering around another. The thought itself disturbed her.

So instead of letting her fist make the point, she cleared her throat threateningly and the man raised his hands in innocent surrender.

Ugh… I should be throwing up my hands at YOU, she scoffed inwardly before scoffing at herself her own thoughts just a few seconds ago. How could she even think of an insufferable emotionless pale thing like this romantically? Resisting the urge to roll her eyes at herself (which would be rather damaging to her image), she shook her head slightly and continued on her way towards the circular tower overlooking the village.

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Sakura smiled politely and waved her hand to the man guarding the entrance to the hokage tower. The old man instantly recognized her and even bothered to wave back casually, throwing her a set of keys from his belt loop. Of course this was against the rules for him- he was supposed to ask her questions to make sure she was not a fraud enemy ninja before even letting her get through the entrance door, let alone gain access of his master keys, but he could probably recognize her by her footsteps even before checking her face.

At some stage of Sakura's training, she had healed him from a bee sting, forging a kind of friendship only a security guy and a medic nin could produce. The security man somehow felt complied to granting her special access to the back door of the tower which led directly to the hokage's room at this and the impressive gesture moved her to bring the old man eye drops on a weekly basis.

Now routinely walking comfortably through the shortcut route to their destination than the long dizzying hike up, Sakura could only think that being under the direct guidance of the Hokage herself had its random advantages at moments like these.

Thanks to her shortcut, Sakura and Sai were able to reach the Hokage tower by ten past 12. They were only ten minutes late; Tsunade couldn't possibly be briefing already. Even if she were she wouldn't be mad yet. Could she? A thoughtful look crossed Sakura's face.

"Why are you pushing me?" Sai looked over his shoulder, a puzzled expression taking over his creepy smile as she pushed his back forcefully towards the Hokage room door first. Was this another one of those irrational things she did? Sai would have to think deeply about this. Sakura had already physically abused him then healed him, and now she was giving up the front lead she quite liked to have when they walked together. Could it be what people call "generosity"? Or was there an ulterior motive? Kakashi-senpai had always said to "look underneath the underneath," but was there an underneath to Sakura's actions?

When Sai continued to look questioningly at her, Sakura nudged him impatiently. Still trying rationalize her behavior, Sai curiously knocked the door and opened it ajar.

A vague sound of something slicing through the air was all the warning he had of a flying tea cup heading accurately through the small gap of the door.

Boom.

…Ahh. So she did have an ulterior motive.

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"Right, so before I was interrupted by the late comers," the Godaime glared at a pained Sai and a meek Sakura

"I was just telling you about the details of the mission. Hyuuga Neji, you're leader- take the mission scroll. You'll find all the necessary details in there." Hyuuga Neji reached over and took the scroll and jerked his head to the others in a gesture to get out of the room. But as Sakura, Sai and Hyuuga Hinata began to shuffle out of the room, Tsunade's voice stopped them.

"Hold on- before I let you go I must make this one thing clear so listen up. This is to be a scouting mission. I can't emphasise that fact enough. Just a scout, a recon mission. There is to be no ambushing or pre-emptive striking on the enemy unless you are forced into battle. Though I would prefer you escape- your lives are our top priority." Tsunade's glance lingered over her pink haired apprentice at the last sentence.

An intense layer of tension quickly enveloped the room. What could the mission be about to cause the Hokage so much worry?

Sakura's brows furred as she thought of all the possible missions to suit a team of a prodigy, a heiress, a painter and a healer. She came up pretty blank and judging by the equally blank expressions on her team's faces, she wasn't alone. But then a thought struck her. Could it possibly be…? It couldn't be- surely if a mission like what she was thinking came in, the Hokage would've called up the energetic blonde boy too. Sakura decided to keep her mouth shut. The tense atmosphere thickened and she could bring herself to clearing it.

So a full minute later, it was Neji who finally broke the silence and the confusion.

"Godaime-sama, what is the mission about?" His voice was a little strained.

Tsunade's eyes locked with the prodigy's pale lavender ones, and he did not dare blink at her intimidating stare. Instead he kept his eyes focused and looking almost disrespectfully back at her. Tsunade finally looked away, cracking a small lopsided smile, before pursing her pink lips tightly as if she was choosing her words carefully.

Sakura pursed her own lips in anxiety and anticipation awaiting the bombshell.

The Godaime's lips finally opened.

"Your mission is to scout the area where Uchiha Sasuke is rumoured to be fighting his blood brother Uchiha Itachi after single handedly destroying Orochimaru and the entire Sound village. Gather information of their whereabouts and the retrieve Uchiha Sasuke."

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Thanks for reading

-Helst


	3. Chapter 3: Mission

_Expect the unexpected,_

_Look underneath the underneath._

_I've heard those words so many times_

_But when it comes to this I'm just a little 12 year old all over again._

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"_Your mission is to scout the area where Uchiha Sasuke is rumoured to be fighting his blood brother Uchiha Itachi after single handedly destroying Orochimaru and the entire Sound village. Gather information of their whereabouts and the retrieve Uchiha Sasuke."_

Sai was not a very emotional person. He was not the type to blink an eye at an incoming kunai, gasp at a surprise enemy attack. A born and bred killer to the core, Sai was technically void of all unprofessional responses. He could fake emotions- his acting skills often too honest sometimes Sai himself had to stop and think if this was really an act or not. Given, he was an elite Root ANBU member at his ripe young age.

The numerous shinobi codes plus the ones instilled by his leader Danzo ruled his life with an iron fist and he thinks he likes it. He was one of those people who considered it was much better for the people who knew better to lay out the ground rules then let the children out onto the playgrounds. This restrained approach to anything was drilled into him so deep that whenever someone would do the "unfathomable" ("It's just plain manners!"Naruto would yell exasperatedly) Sai would have to carefully select his options and "execute" the most "appropriate" response. Then by gauging the effectiveness, he would either fake a smile or raise a defensive arm.

He was rather uncomfortable with this process, considering it rather tedious and a trifling matter to people who risk their lives every single moment of their lives. It seemed much like he was taking a real-time-action personality exam which he needed to pass in order to avoid a broken nose or receive a sweet hug. He used to contemplate whether this was even necessary. Nowadays, he just accepted the fact that for him to survive civilization, he would have to adapt.

Though he still preferred to step back and blend into the background every now and then, he would sometimes walk out in nothing but a nice pair of shorts on hot summer days as a "gift" to his "female acquaintances" before hastily being shoved through a cardboard box by an appalled Sakura and led back home.

"Are you trying to get eaten by those girls?" Sakura ground her teeth while ripping out holes in the box.

"What do you mean? I don't think they're capable of cannibalism." He tilted his head innocently opening his eyes wide in wonder and confusion.

Sakura rolled her eyes at his sweet smile while scratching off the rough with practiced ease.

"You know what I mean. They were openly drooling at you and undressing you with their eyes and you were just standing there without a blush. May I remind you that you're in a civilized town, civilized market place, and not sex city?" She flicked her finger upwards and Sai obediently raised his arms and let her drop the box over his head. It fell onto his shoulders and he squeezed his arms out through the custom made box-shirt.

"I thought those people would like it. A recent book I read said to become favorable, give favors, so I came out like this… and I look like the tin man I read in one of Naruto's books. Can't you make these any better, hag?" He picked at his box-shirt grimly, and Sakura gave him an equally grim look.

"If you had decided to wear a proper shirt today you might not be looking like a tin man. It suits your personality, in any case." She added teasingly sticking her tongue out at him.

Many years of being in company of this deprived man gave Sakura a general idea of how this would go on. He would tell her she was being a child, have a go at her forehead, for which she would punch him; he would go flying, and she'd stomp off with him limping a few meters behind her. Years of service to the village with him by her side gave her an uncanny ability to read him. He wasn't a very creative person anyway. But that moment when she'd looked him in the eye, there were a twinkle of amusement in his eyes and the smallest fraction of a timid smile threatening to grow on his lips. Sakura couldn't help but stare. Her eyes grew wider, trying to drink in the sight of the awkward quiver of his upturned lips and his softer, glowing cheeks. But before Sakura could even comprehend the fact that he was capable of anything lively, let alone fully take in the real foreign face of her comrade of many years, he had noticed her rather intense stare. She mentally slapped herself but it was too late. Effortlessly hiding a surprised expression, the glow on his cheeks died, his eyes dulled and a constructed smile replaced his tiny smirk in a flash.

"If you say so." Sai would simply smile.

-000000000000-0000000000000000-00000000000-

"_Your mission is to scout the area where Uchiha Sasuke is rumoured to be fighting his blood brother Uchiha Itachi after single handedly destroying Orochimaru and the entire Sound village. Gather information of their whereabouts and the retrieve Uchiha Sasuke."_

Sakura felt her heart drop. Not only her heart, but the floor fell and gave way as the walls around her seemed to melt away into a swirl of boring beige and grey. Had she misheard her teacher? Did her ears suddenly decide to malfunction? Could this be the mission she had been waiting for? Millions of doubts and excited thoughts chased each other and her mind raced out of control.

Sakura couldn't have misheard her teacher; it would just be wrong to have misheard her for something else. It was THE Uchiha mission. The mission she had been waiting for all these years- and in the perfect situation! Dear Uchiha Sasuke would finally defeat his psychopathic brother after singlehandedly blowing down the despicable snake's sound village, and return home. Team 7 would be reunited and it would be like the good old days again. The four of them, Kakashi-sensei, Naruto, Sasuke and herself bound with each other again by friendship and trust and love. Oh, ye good olde days.

Sakura could practically feel her heartbeat in her fingertips in an adrenaline rush. Until a warm hand held her own, she did not realize they were shaking visibly. Hinata had wrapped her hand around Sakura's own shaking ones as she cast the medic a worried glance. Even without her bloodline limit Byakugan, Hinata could tell Sakura was burning in anticipation, unconsciously emitting a faint blue glow of chakra in her right hand clamped tightly by Hinata's own pale ones. The heiress could see why she was so ready for this mission. Despite the Sasuke retrieval missions been conducted twice already (both ultimately failing), Sasuke was as out of reach as ever and Sakura knew if there was any chance of bringing the sour raven haired man back to the village, this would be it. It'd be their last opportunity.

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A heavy silence drifted upon the room like a fog and it wasn't until Neji finally broke the defiant eye contact with the Godaime that the 4 shinobis broke out of their reverie. 4 pairs of eyes followed the gentle movement of his hair and watched in silence. Sakura could see in the man's pale eyes a gleam of anxiety- he was probably worried for Hinata's safety; yet she could also see a glimmer of excitement and nervousness. A chance to overcome and claim victory over a powerful bloodline inheritor, superior as his own, and a long kept desire to finally complete the one mission he had failed. The Sasuke retrieval mission. With slow but sure movements as fluid as a river, he looked down briefly as if to study his toes with an intensity only a genius of his league could muster (or so Sakura thought in retrospect) then spoke in a quiet but sure voice.

"We will conduct the mission successfully. With all my power I shall lead the team and bring them home safely."

Tsunade curved her lips in satisfaction.

"Excellent. You are to leave at midnight tonight; I shall see you off at the gates then. Be sure to pack all necessities plus more. No one can guarantee anything out there. Dismissed."

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Oh boy, oh boy. Sorry that took a while- I was the tiniest bit busy and got stuck on where to end the chapter. Think this should do me fine. Hopefully next chapter will be up quicker. Fingers crossed.

Apologies and best wishes – Helst.


	4. Chapter 4: Uchiha Mission Begins

_"We will conduct the mission successfully. With all my power I shall lead the team and bring them home safely."_

_Tsunade curved her lips in satisfaction._

_"Excellent. You are to leave at midnight tonight; I shall see you off at the gates then. Be sure to pack all necessities plus more. No one can guarantee anything out there. Dismissed."_

* * *

The day wore on quickly in anticipation and anxiety for Sakura. Having packed "all necessities plus more," her backpack was heavier than usual and this weight bore down on her spirits.

She had walked home with her teammates; ones she had fought by and lived by, befriended and fought with for her whole life, yet a tense silence engrossed them and made their walk seem solitary.

It did not help when Sai's feeble attempt at lifting the atmosphere by cracking an insult at Sakura was not met with the usual equally feeble laughter or mammoth punch.

They passed the markets together yet none of them took the slightest notice of the store keeper's yells. Even when the local jeweler recognized Sakura and Hinata as regular customers and offered a view of the newest design, their steps did not take a detour.

The tension held an iron grip over them.

Sakura felt suffocated at the disturbing new atmosphere but she dared not to break the eerie discomfort of the group. Instead she studied the changing expressions of her teammates inwardly lamenting the overwhelming effect a simple announcement of a certain name could have on them after all these years.

'The Uchiha name is still a raw spot for all of us…' she thought, registering the shadow that cast itself over Hinata's usually neutral expression.

He was still a hot potato in the land of Fire. He had become a subject not to be named or mentioned publically, but fluttered in dark conversations as a typical example of good gone bad. The admirers turned their backs on him and at some stage, they started forgetting him altogether. The perfect academy records, the faultless mission reports, his family name as one of the most respectable houses in the Fire country were nothing but words on old paper now.

Few friends survived the test of time to remember him as someone other than a rampant runaway teenager. The rookies were the only ones who still held him in some regard.

They knew him personally- a man of perfection, a man of no doubts and a man of burning passion. Though the qualities of excellence had been misused, the rookies did not dare to underestimate the power of the wielder of the blood red eyes.

Recon mission or not, there would be no guarantee of safety nor fleeing from the eyes that followed all. If they were to be found, it would mean a battle to death- either to capture or be killed capturing.

In the past, their inexperience left a painful mark of failure. They had scraped away with a bare breath left in their lungs and a wistful memory to serve as a reminder of the day. But times had changed. But the rookies themselves had grown to a level to match anyone.

But could they have a chance of bringing back the lost villager? Sakura's mind was torn between the slim chances of success and the much greater chance of death. Was he worth their lives? After so many years of desertion, did the man still deserve a place between their homes?

Many blocks down the road, Neji and Hinata broke off, heading in the other direction for the Hyuuga compound. The friends exchanged quick grunts of "see you later" and "don't forget to bring that" before parting ways with a strange glint of determination in their eyes.

It was only a brief moment but the image of the three pairs of shining eyes clearly imprinted on Sakura's mind. The ferocity of their seriousness was infective.

They were ready to do this. So should she.

Sakura's hand immediately closed into a tightly balled fist. Her leather gloves groaned in the strain but she missed it. Kill or be killed is a shinobi's philosophy and she would rather die trying than die a lonesome member of a damaged team. The little things didn't matter anymore.

She was going to bring back the Uchiha once and for all.

* * *

"…Kunai, check. Explosive tags and wires, check. Soldier pills, check. Medical kit, check." Sakura mumbled slowly, carefully checking the contents of her pack before crossing off items from her list.

She gave the paper another quick read through and wrinkled her nose at the lame length of the list.

Barely ever did a medic's pack's contents change but for some reason Sakura knew she had to pack afresh and know with confidence she was going into this well prepared. The consequences of this mission we much too high to leave the borders of safety with anything more than a dust size doubt in the mind.

She had even considered going back to the hokage to request a few poisons but she knew what her teacher would do.

A shake of her head and a groan of exasperation from her lips would set Sakura bolting out of the room in shame.

The instructions were clear: this was to be a simple information gathering mission. There was no possible way of poisoning this man given his previous endeavors with a certain snake made him virtually resistant to most types of poisons anyway.

So she wisely chose to neatly re organize her bag again instead. She'd always considered packing bags to be much like playing a game of tetris. Square block here, bulky block beside it and fill the gaps. But when she'd co ordinate her belonging, it looked displeasing. She peered into the bag wondering what could be offending her but there was nothing. She had ticked off her list and had nothing more to put in the bag.

…Or did she?

Sakura picked up the bag with one hand and measured it with her other free hand like scales. Her mind knew it was as heavy as it was in her last mission and her mission before that. The corners of her lips pulled into an unsatisfied frown.

She scanned her small flat for any items she could have forgotten about but if anything, only her pajamas lay on the wooden floor in disarray.

Was it a matter of quantity? If so then, how much was enough? How many rolls of bandages or how many sharp weapons were enough to ensure the team's safe return? As the medic of the team it was her responsibility to bring the necessities but the answer to this question always eluded her.

She opened her medical kit and counted 3 rolls of bandages plus various ointments and sewing tools and again wrinkled her nose.

Three was a vague number; not too little but not too much. Was it just right?

'Goldilocks would have an easier time than me.' She complained to herself.

Casting her mind back, she decided to let her experience judge.

In her previous mission with Sai, he had used all three of her bandages because she had refused to heal the poor man when he called her something atrocious. It was a poor show of a medic but she easily justified the wrong explaining to her other stunned teammates that "he knew it was coming." But apart from this the artist was rarely hurt. His expertise in spying and gathering intel left him unscathed for many missions.

The Hyuuga heiress was a similar case. She would usually spend her days as a teacher at the academy where she was content with her position. Her natural disposition as a soft woman meant she was not a battle type ninja but she was not without use. Often she would be called on specifically to work as the "reindeer" of a team with her bloodline vision; guiding the team through treacherous lands. But usually her role ended with locating the enemy that she herself was never hurt from battle. Only minor cuts across her shin or hand as she leapt from tree to tree would be a mark of the mission.

As for the genius of the unfortunate branch family of the prestigious Hyuuga clan, Neji was almost untouchable. With his bloodline enabled near 360 vision and sharply honed senses and skills by years of dedicated training, he graced out of harm's way before it could even enter his personal space. Spinning like a wild screw he deflected danger and perfected perfection. None of Sakura's bandages were unrolled on missions with Hyuuga Neji.

Sakura knew she was working with an incredible crew of people. The answer was clear: the mission was not of battle but of intel gathering. The members of the team were strong and resourceful. Hell, she could go to any mission with a team like this and come back home with nothing but a leaf in her hair as proof of her mission.

But she wasn't going to risk it this time. This is the Uchiha rebel they were going for the hunt.

A firm line set across her features as her mind was set. She was going to buy another seven rolls just for luck.

* * *

"Ow."

"Can't be the best kunoichi with those reflexes, Sakura."

Sakura rubbed her nose gingerly as she eyed her old sensei and the bag of dangos he held in her face.

"Can't be the best socialite with that greeting, Kakashi-sensei." She snapped in response feeling the heat of her blood rush to her face.

She was embarrassed to say her mind was too pre-occupied with the mission and counting how many stupid bandages she was going to need that she hadn't sensed Kakashi's presence at all. Not to mention the dangos. The sweet smell was almost sticky in the air surrounding them, a testament as to how long Kakashi had been standing out here, most possibly listening in to her rumbling monologue about bandages and her yelping curse as she nearly tripped over her own foot while pacing around for answers.

She pouted and looked away from his bemused eye.

He looked at her reddened face and curved his lone eye with an invisible smile before ruffling her hair.

"Who needs friends when I have my student entertaining me so well already?"

"Kakashi-sensei!"

As delighted as her teacher's unexpected show of generosity was to Sakura, she was confused as to what the man's intentions could be. Despite building himself a reputation as a run-away wallet for his consistent efforts to avoiding paying for their meals all these years, he had bothered to come to her little flat and wait until she walked right into his gift. Even now as he walked beside her with a hand in his pocket and a book in the other, she couldn't even begin to think what he could be planning.

Kakashi's motto had always been to look beneath the underneath… she knew something was up with this man. She also knew it was best to take it straight up with Kakashi. The man could sniff out a lie like how Naruto could sniff out the ramen of the day being served at Ichiraku.

Not to mention he knew how to fish out information from people. He was guarded in himself but coy and exploitive of her free mouth, letting it run away with itself until he got what he wanted. Young Sakura had tried to play her own mind games with him in the past but it had always been unsatisfactory.

She was again in such deep though that she did not notice where Kakashi had led her.

The two of them had already arrived at the threshold of the big green gate of Konoha and were only a few steps from leaving the village.

Kakashi decidedly took his few last steps before stopping just behind the imaginary line between the village and the outside. Sakura stopped just behind him faltering a little on her last step. Why had the man brought her here?

But just as she was opening her mouth to ask the question, Kakashi began first.

"So I heard about the mission," the silver-haired man drone in a toneless voice. He seemed neutral about it or if not, he made a good impression of it.

"Yeah?"

Sakura lightly replied to his statement and closed her mouth again. She was sure the mission Kakashi was talking about was the Uchiha mission she had just gotten and knowing Kakashi, he couldn't simply be happy. Ex-student A searching out for Ex-student B who took flight after learning one of the man's signature and most trusted moves with the intention of bringing him back to face possible judgement couldn't be sweet.

But if Kakashi was bitter, he didn't let it show. If he was worried, he didn't let that show either. Instead, the man spoke volumes in actions. He closed his book and replaced it back in his pouch, then turned to face Sakura and simply curved his lone eye quietly. The eye crinkled and looked tired to Sakura and she knew what Kakashi was thinking. She knew he felt guilty about letting Sasuke run off on his own; she knew he thought he failed as a teacher and a direct shinobi superior. And because of his lack of guidance, it was up to his stay-at-home, goodie-two shoes student to now chase after his angry killing machine mistake of a student.

Sakura knew that. She knew what his smile meant. So she simply crinkled her own eyes back at the man and took one of his gloved hands in her hand. His smile faltered at the touch but he let her take his hand and softly squeezed back when she tightened her hold on his.

* * *

Sakura had arrived at the gate first that night and this did not help her settle her nerves.

She wandered by the gates aimlessly, kicking up the random pebble on the street until all the pebbles had been displaced to the surrounding edge of the forest.

Between each kick she would imagine the events that were about to unfold. In a few minutes, she would be spring sprinting her way through the trees and into the vaguely described direction of where the "target" may be. She would collect information about him and if battle is engaged, she would fight to her last ounce of chakra. Die swiftly or die another day.

However whether or not she felt prepared for ultimatum did not ease her mind. The vagueness of the mission scroll made her feel uneasy- the direction, location, time, head count, and witness statements were lacking in accuracy and reliability and to her it seemed as if she was knowingly walking straight into a trap.

She could now understand why the Hokage had been so adamant on their understanding of the mission requirements.

"This is to be a scouting mission. I can't emphasise that fact enough. Just a scout; a recon mission. There is to be no ambushing or pre-emptive striking on the enemy unless you are forced into battle. Though I would prefer you escape- your lives are our top priority."

After reading the mission scroll, Sakura could easily see why Naruto had been excluded from the team.

The instant the boy thinks he's seen a flash of charcoal black hair or hear the chirping of a thousand birds, all logics would be thrown out the window and he would be running into the welcoming arms of death itself for sure.

Still she felt bad for him; the person who missed the target the most was Naruto and yet he would remain completely oblivious to the secret mission going underway.

Her hundred tonne heart just gained a thousand more pounds at the thought.

Luckily for Sakura, the sound of muffled shuffling footsteps alerted Sakura out of her thoughts before they could sink her heart to the bottom and she would find herself sprinting to the blonde's humble little flat to spill the beans.

Two figures were walking in her direction, flashing pupil less eyes out of the darkness like a pair of owls before the close proximity allowed Sakura to recognize them fully.

A nervous Hinata closely followed by a tense Neji stopped and carefully set down their backpacks on the ground. Despite the careful maneuvering, the packs still made a larger than expected thud and Sakura cast them a puzzled look. The pack was half her own pack's size yet she could hear things clashing into each other. Glass upon glass and steel upon steel rattled around in the pack before finally settling down restoring silence to the gates.

The three looked at each other knowingly and nodded.

This night was going to be the prelude to the end of a chapter of Konohagakure's bloody history.

* * *

So I had this written and forgot to upload it. Sorry for the major delay! I'm now wondering if anyone still reads my little story on this site but if you did, I hope to make more advances soon so keep in touch.

Best wishes,

Helst.


	5. Chapter 5: Campfire, Bonfire, Heartfire

_The three looked at each other knowingly and nodded._

_This night was going to be the prelude to the end of a chapter of Konohagakure's bloody history__._

* * *

For someone who was usually dead-set about times, Sai was uncharacteristically late. The two Hyuugas and the medic had been waiting for some time until a dark shadow swiftly arrived between them. Sai was clad in his usual attire but his half crop shirt had been replaced by a full length shirt, covering his abdomen. The man didn't even bother to lower his bag but merely nodded in greeting when three pairs of eyes landed on him.

"We're late. We should head off," Neji said, sliding easily into his role as captain of their team. He did not question Sai of his tardiness. Only a soft crinkle of his brows marked dissatisfaction.

"Wasn't Tsunade-sama supposed to meet us at the gate tonight to see us off?" Sakura inquired, wondering at the absence. Neji shook his head briefly but did not elaborate on the topic anymore.

"Hinata-sama, if you could please take the front position, then Haruno, then Sai, and I will follow from the rear. Are we clear on our positions?" He asked, scanning each of their faces until he got a nod from each person. It was then when Neji opened his mouth again.

"Remember, this is a scouting mission only. Remember Hokage-sama's words. Scouting only. If any of you try to engage in unnecessary battle…," Neji sneaked a glance over at Sakura and paused for a fraction.

"I will kill you first. Disobedience of one will risk the lives of all. Understood?"

"Yes." Sakura felt compelled to answer for the rest of them. Neji was staring at her in particular and she could not blame him for being eager to remind her.

Though she was better off than Naruto, Tsunade must have told Neji about Sakura's way of jumping into things. For example her desperate at the hospital rooftop many years ago showed just how weak she was to her two boys. Whether or not she would do the same to a guy who nearly killed her and her friends so many times after so many years was doubtful though.

Sakura nodded again, reassuring her team captain with a small smile. Neji did not smile in response to this, but spun on his heel to lead his team out through the open gates of Konoha.

"We'd better pray for our safety." Sakura heard the faintest whisper. It was so small and so quick she nearly missed it but she was certain that low grumble of voice could only have been from him. Almost alarmed at the usually stoic and I-can-handle-anything guy Sakura had pinned this Hyuuga to be, she gaped at the long black hair swishing behind him as he quickly melted away into the dark forest beyond the gate first. For Neji to say this was… frightful.

"Something wrong, Sakura?" Hinata came up to her in her stillness and tapped Sakura's arm gingerly. Swivelling around to meet the heiress in the eye, somewhat guilty of overhearing what was obviously a private muttering; she gave the heiress a wide smile.

"Nothing. Let's go. The faster we leave, the earlier we get home."

Heaving her pack onto her back, Sakura turned again to face the gates and the beckoning black wilderness.

'We'd better pray for our safety, indeed.'

* * *

The night wore on as the four ninjas travelled stealthily through the familiar forest. They were still well within the boundaries of the Fire country and knew they would be safely guarded by patrolling ANBU for another half-day travel at least, but none of them could hide their tension as they all subconsciously masked their chakra and took soundless steps. Neji had not ordered it, no one had suggested it. But the name of their operative target was enough to get them into the mood quickly.

Sakura had been travelling in silence since her conversation with a concerned heiress behind the gates and she welcomed it wholeheartedly. It shouldn't be difficult trying to ease her mind knowing she was with some of the best ninjas her country had to offer, she thought. Not to mention it was just a scout. The type of mission where you could hide in a tree for a day and be done with the mission, get paid a hefty sum for it. She wasn't usually teamed up for scouting though, and while she appreciated the Hyuuga heiress leading them safely with her bloodline limit activated with another Hyuuga, a prodigy nonetheless, guarding her rear, she wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this.

Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke was her target.

She was also to anticipate Uchiha Itachi. Her target's target.

As funny as their relationships went, hiding from them would be serious business. Even if the Uchihas were to be distracted by fighting each other, should Sakura encounter them, accidental or not, in the middle of their blitz, there would be no doubt only trouble could be brewed. Fatal trouble. If they were forced into battle, she knew the village elders would want to punish the Uchihas publicly and so her team (Neji's team, really) would have to beat the pair and keep them alive. Impossible as the first feat sounds, dragging one or two reluctant Uchihas home would be yet another mountain to climb.

Easier were the days when you could find someone within the walls of the village and fight them with tiny fists until your mother called you for dinner, Sakura thought woefully.

Only when the morning sun began to shine down on the team did they stop. Running through the familiar forest was no task for them in terms of stamina but when Sakura's medic instincts kicked in, she asked Neji for a break.

"Are you tired already?" The prodigy Hyuuga asked without deactivating his Byakugan. His veined face had a touch of annoyance.

"We need sleep and food. As medic, I would rather us be a few hours slow than to risk being hungry or tired when we're stuck between an Uchiha and the other Uchiha." Sakura pointed out but it was missed on Neji.

"We are scouting, Haruno. Not fighting."

"What if we are noticed? And we're forced into battle?"

"They would not be here. We are still within the boundaries of Konoha far from where our reports indicate they are suspected to be."

His attitude was solid as he folded his arms and creased his brows. But she took no notice of this instead boldly taking a step closer in what Neji could only interpret as defiance.

"The reports given to us are inaccurate! They're piddly bits of information put together from rumours and words of money hungry missing-nins! 'They' could be anywhere." She ground out between her teeth and she saw out of the corner of her eyes Hinata hunching her shoulders in. Sai stood passively next to her, sliding into the usual team 7 dynamic and automatically taking her side. Whether this was out of habit or because he truly sided with her, Sakura did not know. Neji was not fazed by the duo.

"'Piddly bits of information'," Neji echoed Sakura's words coolly, before he bit out; "Tsuande-sama collected and gave us herself."

Sakura mentally winced at the name of her mentor. If she were to continue to make her point, Sakura would be- though indirectly- doubting her own village-leader. This surely had to be cheating on his part. Her eyes swept to the lush grass floor beneath them and Neji knew she would resist no more. Swiftly he turned away from her and uttered a quick order.

"Move on."

* * *

The day wore on and no breaks were asked for nor were they given. The four-man team moved silently as they began, exchanging short questions and grunts as they took sips of water and small morsels from their packs to keep them going.

The sun had begun to cast golden rays of light as it dipped behind the mountainous ranges far behind them and by this time, the team had officially overstepped the boundaries of Konoha and were crossing unfamiliar territory. Sakura was not regularly sent out on far missions; usually her inter-village crossing was limited to Sunagakure- whom Konoha remained in close alliance with- and so the trees surrounding her tonight was new to her. It was the same situation for Hinata as well who looked unsure of herself in the new area and the medic was almost glad there was another head whipping side to side in quick succession in an attempt to get her bearings. Thankfully, Neji knew exactly where they were enough to be able to lead them to a secluded, dense section of the scarily thinning forest near a flowing river. When he got there, he dropped his pack with a small thud before immediately scanning the area with a wary eye.

"We will camp here for the night," he said without looking at them.

"Tomorrow we will make our way to the reported area. We're no longer in Konoha so stay alert," and with that, the prodigy left with the painter to secure the area, leaving Hinata and Sakura to prepare the camp site for a quick meal and sleep for the night. The two men's soft footsteps were soon out of earshot Sakura let out a small sigh of relief. The travel had sapped at her strength and chakra more than she thought. Hinata was no better; her pale complexion held green edges; her efforts doubled from keep up with the team in chakra pumped strides but also maintaining her Byakugan activated and scanning the endless forest before them. Hinata was never had serious stamina (though Sakura's standards were a wee bit warped thanks to one ramen-powered kyuubi vessel) so Sakura was surprised the timid sweetheart was still on her feet.

Sitting the heiress down and ignoring her pleas to assist, Sakura quickly built a small fire and huddled them both around it.

"Say, Hinata." Sakura called out to her and Hinata, who had begun searching her pack for food answered faithfully.

"Yes?"

"Do you know why Tsunade-sama couldn't make it to the gate?"

She kept her tone light but the question had been lingering on Sakura's mind during their entire trip. While Sakura could not understand the actions of her teacher, she knew there would be an imperative reason behind it. Even casting her mind back to all the topics that were currently on the agenda with Tsunade recently, Sakura still could not deduce what it could have been.

Sadly, Hinata shook her head. Collecting a few tins from her bag, Hinata returned to face Sakura over the fire.

"I don't know. But Neji-nii-sama said nothing about it so I assume Tsunade-sama had contacted him after we left and somehow let him know she wasn't going to be there to see us off."

"Do you think so?"

"Of course. Neji-nii-sama would never disobey or disregard Tsunade-sama's words."

The girl's absolute faith in her cousin was unbelievable. Especially for someone who nearly died at the said man's hands so many years ago. Sakura silently regarded Hinata's calm expression as she began peeling off the lids off the cans.

She could only suspect that either Hinata had the heart of a forgiving saint or Neji was two-faced; a cold icy statue with peers but an apologetic, submissive, cuddly teddy bear at home. Or it could be both. Sakura shuddered.

Laying out a few cans before them, Sakura and Hinata had started taking slow careful bites when Neji and Sai returned and joined them around the fire. They ate slowly as if cans of tuna were gourmet food, while engaging in light conversation but Sakura knew they were all perking their ears for any sounds of movement, even occasionally peering around when a particularly fierce burst of wind blew. The air was unsettled around here and Sakura kept twitching under the electric atmosphere.

Then a warm lump scooted closer to her side. She didn't even have to avert her gaze to know who it was.

"Sai," she greeted him solemnly and the man nodded back taking a single look at her.

"Are you feeling all right?" He inquired quietly as if he did not want to be overheard by the Hyuugas sitting across from them but the pair earned a glance when Sakura twitched in her spot. Was it just her imagination or was he… worried? She did not reply until the glance turned gaze swept away again.

"I'm fine. I… I'm just a little nervous about this, I guess."

She ended rather lamely, hugging her knees and placing her chin on the caps delicately.

"It's been so long since we last saw him and judging by the rumours he has grown even stronger than before. Remember then? He was almost unbeatable then; imagine how he would be now."

"Unbeatable?" He supplied helpfully but Sakura waved her hand dismissively.

"Don't answer. It was rhetorical."

"Right. But remember we're only going to watch them. Most likely from a fair distance away too. Tsunade-sama doesn't expect, nor does she want us to engage in battle." He spoke levelly and she knew he was right. But he was also wrong.

"But I can't imagine us being able to creep up on them. They're Uchihas, Sai. Don't you see?"

"Uchihas who aren't sensory types and would be busy caught up in a fight against each other. We're not exactly going to rampage around like elephants and hope they don't notice either. We're ninjas too. You're simply over-thinking this like the hag you are."

She let his last comment go.

"But _if_ we had to fight, I just don't know how we could possibly win. Or at least hide or buy enough time to escape any one of us…"

It was at this point Sai smartly did not try to correct her. Doom and gloom was always part of their job and she'd gotten almost sick of deaths over the years working as a ninja and a medic. But thinking of the risks they were taking here for this particular mission, she was sure the doom and gloom were unavoidable if stealth becomes strike and push came to shove. Against an Uchiha and another Uchiha, their chances of survival, even of one team member were slim.

Despite Neji's harsh decisions and cold demeanour or Sai's dim responses to what people considered "proper", the two men would kill themselves long before letting anything as much as take a swipe at her or Hinata. Hinata was never very very strong and neither was Sakura. While Sakura's medical skills would come in handy, there was a limit to useful it could be; the dead do not need healing. For her use, it would merely be a prolonging of impending death.

A flicker of fear flashed across her emerald orbs dimming them and Sai caught sight of it. Even watching her from her side, he could see doubt and fear threatening to seep in and he quickly recalled a memory.

Lifting his hand from his lap, he hesitantly touched her forearm with the tips of his fingers. Sakura stilled instantly at the contact but did not jerk away. Feeling safer at this response, he proceeded with his plan and gently wrapped his palm around her forearm. Her skin was cool as he remembered, soft and smooth under the comparably rough surface of his warm hand.

_The last time he held her arm was when they had a mission together. They were returning from a mission; infiltrating some rich man's house and had been given quite a chase. Yamato did not dare raise a house that night in case their chasers spotted them and so when it was Sai's turn to watch, he leaned against the wall, watching the foreign scenery just visible through the mouth of the cave the team had set up camp. He had been sitting there for what felt too long when the smallest sound caught his attention. A wimpering Sakura. Her face was wrinkled in all the wrong places and sweat was beginning to bead on her forehead. _

_Sai did not know how to manage this. _

_Was she ill? Was she having a night mare? Should he wake her up? Was she too close to the fire and hot? Or was she undergoing something female that he simply did not know? _

_He sat still, frozen and rooted to his spot watching her with widened eyes. He had half a mind to push himself harder into the cave wall in hopes it would swallow him and free him from this confusion until a choked sob burst from her throat. It was at that moment Sai found himself shifting towards her, an arm outstretched. _

_He wasn't thinking to move; his body just did. Perhaps it was instinct, something he tried so hard and believed to have successfully buried many years back, coming back and controlling him. Powerless to whatever it was in control of his arm, he simply watched his hand slowly hover towards her and softly land on her forearm. His fingers snaked around her wrist and his mind noted how thin it was. How soft it was. How marble-cool it was. All the while Sakura's sob dried up at his touch and her face relaxed visibly. _

_That's when he learned to comfort the girl._

So tonight he felt smug to know what the best course of action to take was. And he felt better knowing she didn't punch him at the touch. He felt his ego soar when she surprisingly took a shuffle towards him so he felt her ribs on his side radiating a kind of warmth cosier than any fire.

"Hey Sai…" Sakura mumbled and the painter tilted his head towards her.

"Hag?"

"Don't die on me."

Her voice was no louder than a whisper yet their proximity allowed him to catch it in the breeze. How odd it was to hear her say this to him. She had never worried about his life before. Was the mission scaring her so much so that she would tell him to take care of himself?

He plastered a small smile on his lips, curving his eyes the way he always did.

"I won't."

* * *

I daresay this fic has been forgotten. I had written up half this chapter months back but life, it seems, did not want to let me finish it until now.

Apologies as always,

Helst.


	6. Chapter 6: First Traces

"Your turn."

A voice whispered as a hand grabbed her shoulder. Sakura grumbled and groaned into her sleeping bag before opening her eyes in slits. She saw the sky was still dark overhead and the fire still burning strong. From what she saw and what she felt, it seemed it had only been an hour or so since she had fallen asleep. But the voice, Neji, was adamant to see her awake.

"Are you sure?" She croaked, staring into his clear orbs trying to detect any signs of deceit. But he remained stoic, patiently answering as softly as before.

"I'm sure."

"Really sure?"

"Yes."

"I don't think so."

"Haruno." His tone held a hint of stress.

"Bring me a watch."

Neji barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes. He had known her for long enough to know she was just toying with him to buy herself time. Her efforts were to be futile; he was the master of patience.

At his silence, her eye curiously peeked out between the locks of her dishevelled hair and their eyes met.

He caught her eyes stonily.

He stared. She stared. And as the strong, capable, ever-so-mature jounin ninjas they were, a staring match had begun.

"Haruno, stop this right now," he grunted without blinking.

"Stop what?"

"Staring. It is nothing short of stupidity."

"I think it's quite fun."

"You are wasting time."

"You're right. And so are you."

"Haruno-"

"Hyuuga."

He sighed. Visibly crumpling his form in what could only be pure irritation, Neji raised a hand to his forehead effectively breaking their staring contest. A grin spread over Sakura's lips, reminiscent of her teacher when she rolled a good dice, while a strained muffle could be heard from his shielded face.

"Haru-… Sakura. You will get up and take watch. Now."

She finally conceded at the use of his growling tone. She recognised it as the "last-warning" voice usually reserved for when Lee when the bowl-cut beast refused to stop challenging his eternal rival to pointless battles. Even after so many years, there was just no stopping the man in green spandex.

"Hinata would have woken me more gently. So would have a pile of rocks." Sakura croaked but Neji was untouched.

"'I'll take Hinata-sama's shift.' What a stupid idea."

The grumbling continued as Sakura buried her face in her hands and slowly lifted her head, eventually finding the spirit to crawl out of the warm cocoon. Contrasting to the warmth of her sleeping bag, it was a chilly night despite sitting close to the fire. She unzipped her sleeping bag wide open to wrap it around her shoulders and flopped down on a patch of grass and scooted closer to the fire. Fingering the hem of her sleeping bag gingerly as if worried the close proximity to the campfire might melt it, Sakura looked over her shoulder and spoke.

"Hey Neji, good ni-"

"…"

Neji had already fallen asleep.

Sakura clicked her tongue in distaste but did not bother him further. Instead, she yawned stretching her tired body and waving her arms around trying to drive the sleep out of her.

Her hospital shift the night before Sai had come to pick her up was particularly vicious; a team had returned from a bloody mission and she was called in for emergency surgeries continuously throughout the night. When she did trudge home, she was walking home with the morning sun above her head. When she woke up, the same sun was still in the sky, though its rays were blocked by the said man's form crashing through her window. Fatigue washed over her all over again.

Damned inhumane ink covered bastard. She really liked that window frame. She really liked the mug he (to be honest, she) broke too. She had spent many an hour with Ino looking for the 'right' colour frame and mug to match her kitchen.

Sure, given his life history and previous alliances, she could hardly blame him for his stunted emotional growth but as a painter, shouldn't he be… sensitive? Paint wild indecipherable art to blow some steam then regretfully bawl and scratch it with his nails in soulful agony? Shouldn't he have amazing consideration for her beautifully coloured window frame?

She absent-mindedly scratched the tip of her sandals against a bare patch of dirt but eventually slowed to a halt.

She guessed he did make up for his mistakes in his own funny way- taking the mug hit from an angry Tsunade (though he had no idea about it) and always letting her punch him when he chose to give the "wrong" responses to her mindless chatter. While most of her male friends were cold geniuses, bored geniuses, psychopathic geniuses, or a genius with a bloodline eyeball implant, no genius really bothered to remark on every one of her comments and suffered internal quizzes as to what the correct response would be except this painting genius.

Sakura sighed. She supposed he was being good in his own right. She cocked her head to her side drinking in the sight of Sai's sleeping figure nearby. In his black sleeping bag furthest away from the fire, he appeared bodyless, a strange pale face floating in a sea of black… Sakura snorted at her own imagination. She really had to catch some sleep. Soon.

At that instant a gust of wind blew around them, scattering fallen leaves from their place and Sakura miserably hugged her arms inside the makeshift blanket.

The same arm Sai had held delicately a few hours ago. She touched the exact spot gingerly but softly, mimicking Sai's movements. She remembered his warm hands on her forearm, wrapping around tentatively as his dark eyes roamed her face gauging her response to his touch. She let him purely because he was usually so frigid about human contact and this, even for Sakura- the team-mate of many years, was rare. While the man was shameless with women undressing him with their eyes in public, he would never touch them.

But today he made the move.

But how did he even know she was being moody? He had never taken her swings of emotions seriously before. She had always assumed Sai interpreted her emotions as either mode A: talkative or mode B: untalkative.

Judging by how they'd held their conversation, she was probably sitting in mode A to him and yet he… "comforted" her.

Yes. As unrealistic it sounded in her own mind, Sakura had found it surprisingly comforting. Yet it was far more surprising to see he even knew how to comfort. How did he even know that was the "correct" response to her moodiness?

Had Naruto taught him to do this? She would have to reward the blonde on her return.

Well… He was comforting her, right?

She wasn't even sure what he was doing anymore.

"Ugh," she said, throwing her arms over her head. Only when she noticed a chill creeping up on her bared arms, she rushed to toss a piece of wood into the flames and snuck her arms under her makeshift blanket. It took a few minutes for the flames to roar back to life and when she was happy with the amount of heat the fire was giving off again, Sai flipped in his sleeping bag in the corner of her eye. She waited until the restless silhouette of his body fall peaceful once more then averted her gaze quickly.

"Airhead."

* * *

Morning came quickly over the forest. Birds had barely begun chirping when Hinata put out the fire and Neji barked a quick order to move out once again. The air was crisp in their nostrils, and the branches of trees were moist, bursting out sparkling drops of dew with every foot that landed on it.

The team was running in the same formation but their attitudes were much lax than yesterday. While they continued to mask their chakra, quiet conversations had begun amongst them. A few uneventful hours later, the team had abandoned running along the branches and opted to walk on the forest floor. Conserving chakra had been their persuasive reason to their Leader and a quick demonstration of Hinata's quick drawing breaths was the turning point.

"Just until we reach the end of the forest," Neji grumbled.

Mentally noting how easily manipulated Neji was when Hinata was involved, Sakura blew air into her cheeks. He wasn't usually _this_ easy. She remembered her own little "disagreement" they had the previous day- he didn't yield to her advice as the _team medic, _yet a little huffing and puffing from the Heiress had him bending over backwards.

Still, any sort of break was welcome to the team. Sakura had sustained a few scratches from racing from branch to branch but her natural healing powered by her trained medic chakra kept her well mended. Hinata and the others, on the other hand, did not have this blessing. Checking the Heiress a short distance away, Sakura headed straight for her. It was a short walk and Sakura even had her hand half held up in greeting when suddenly she was cut short. With a loud swoosh, a mass of brown flashed in front of Sakura and stopped her dead in her tracks.

Wind rushed after his movements and tugged at his hair; for a split second revealing the man's emotionless face before it twisted away from a stunned Sakura.

Neji had swooped in at the last minute right between Sakura and Hinata. He then gently took an alarmed Hinata's elbow in his hand and somewhat forcefully guided her to away falling into sparse conversation.

Thankfully Sai had walked up to her at this point and stood by an affronted Sakura.

His tone was slightly amused (incredibly interested by Naruto's standards) when he spoke.

"Choosing to stroll through an unclaimed forest…" His eyes drifted to the canopy above their heads.

"You're not going to complain now, are you?" Recovering herself, Sakura lifted her brows at Sai's remarks but the painter shook his head.

"It is not up for me to decide."

Sakura quickly exhaled at Sai's words. He was still very dedicated to following orders, no matter what they were. It was a trait from his Root ANBU days no doubt, but she would have thought for all his researching and observation of human behaviour using Naruto as his specimen would have taught him to speak his own mind for once. She stepped on a leaf flattening it with a satisfying crunch.

"We're a team so you are at liberty to give suggestions and your thoughts. What's wrong with walking through here?"

The painter did not answer immediately. When the silence grew, Sakura tilted her head slightly, stealing a glance at the thoughtful man. He took a few slow steps with his arms loosely crossed looking almost pleasantly relaxed taking in the forest scenery- reminiscent of the old man who ambled by Sakura's apartment every morning. But when he did speak, his voice was lowered consciously Sakura had to scramble closer to catch his words.

"The area is unaccounted for. While we're still near the fire country, we're outside it's boundary and we could easily encounter both friends and foes. Yet… we are walking through these lands."

"Well, we have two Byakugan users with us. If something is coming, we'll know about it."

"The Byakugan does not guarantee safety. Need I remind you of what some ninjas are capable of?"

Sakura made a disgusted frown. She knew what he was referring to; by God she knew about it.

A few examples? Stretchy snake armed traitor, an almost-immortal-religious-criminal with a blood fetish, and worst of all, an ex-villager who can swap hearts like popping candy.

Considering who the team's target was, Sai couldn't be too wrong. In fact, he had a point. If any of those ninjas decided to drop by, being able to see them homing in on you was not going to make things any safer. Sakura shivered.

"But… but Neji would never have let us walk if he knew this place to be dangerous! I mean, he wouldn't even let us take a break when we were in Konoha because it "could be dangerous"."

Yep, she was still bitter about that all right.

At this, Sai paused mid step and turned to give Sakura a mechanical smile.

"Your ignorance is charming."

"Die."

* * *

To Sakura, things weren't at all suspicious until Sai had innocently planted a seed of thought in her mind back in the forest. But after being whacked with information like that, Sakura felt troubled. Even while stretching her legs in the warm water of the bath, her mind kept wandering back to his words.

Was he possibly suggesting that Neji was purposely putting them in danger? If so, for what purpose?

Walking through treacherous lands was routine on missions and Sakura hadn't spared it any thought before. She could also assume it would have been the same for Sai who had probably crossed more distances wearing the mask of an ANBU than she had wearing a headband. Confusion ran deep in her mind.

There was Neji- team leader and fellow rookie, a friend since their genin days. Proudly boasting a near perfect mission record and on amiable terms with Sakura.

Then there's Sai, ex-ROOT member, zero human skills, and suspicious artist. Proudly boasting a tattooed tongue, unaccessible mission record and on usually-amiable-but-often-deserving-a-kick terms with Sakura.

The choice was obvious. Bubbles erupted from around the floating mass of pink hair as Sakura sunk her head under water.

Hinata slipped slowly into the bath then, causing the water to ripple. Letting out a contented sigh, she immersed herself to her chin in the bath, stretching her own legs out when Sakura resurfaced and shuffled over.

The public bath house the pair found was within their budget and spacious, and with few other customers bustling around, they could just as well sit however they pleased. A rare feat, Sakura thought, only because this tiny town was nothing but a small dot on the map; mistakable for a stray splash of ink, and probably ever had visitors.

"Are you… ill, Sakura?" Hinata shot her a concerned look associated with watching friends suspected of what could only be trying to burn their face in hot bath water.

"Ah, no, I'm fine." Sakura said, sputtering water out of her mouth in an attempt to seem sane. Hinata curiously tilted her head but did not question her friend further. Instead, she opened her palms on the water's surface and gently hummed to herself. Sakura took the opportunity to change subjects.

"Water's nice here."

"Yes, it's lovely. The bath house is quite large as well, I was surprised at how fairly we were charged."

"I know right? It's a nice change after walking through that damp forest." Sakura said, remembering her muddied boots waiting for her to clean them in her room. Hinata had obviously thought the same because she giggled quietly.

"That was quite a walk, wasn't it?"

"Hmm. Guess so."

Sakura bit her tongue to stop herself from adding: "Would have been much better if I hadn't been given a weird talk." That was confidential between Sai and herself. She didn't want to shock her bath buddy with suspicions of suspicious behaviour of her cousin. Luckily, Hinata did not notice.

"It had been a while since my last mission, so I had forgotten how nice it was to be outside." Hinata laced her fingers together and held them to her lips. Since taking her role in academia, her missions were usually given away to someone else. It was only on special missions Hinata would be called away. Sakura knew how great it was to get outdoors after being cooped up in the village for so long. She herself had once been kept in the village tending to her patients for months before practically begging Tsunade to put her on a mission, even a D-rank.

"Sounds like you're having fun." Sakura replied but it was a thoughtless mistake. At her words, Hinata panicked, her face growing wildly red.

"No- of course I'm not! I- I- I know this is a serious mission for you Sakura, I wouldn't dare take it lightly or anything!"

"Wha-? No, I'm not saying you are!"

"Because it's important that everything goes as to plan, I don't want to make any mistakes. Please believe me!"

"Okay, I do. I really do." Sakura assured Hinata who gave her a deer in the headlights look,

"You do?"

"Yes."

"…"

"…"

Oh, boy. Sakura mentally slapped her forehead.

* * *

The bath ended somehow, though Sakura couldn't quite remember how it went. She vaguely recalled talks about pruny skin and hastily scrubbing herself clean. Now dressed in her normal clothes, muddy boots and all, the whole bath event seemed like a distant dream.

Neji had rented two rooms for them; one for Hinata and Sakura, and the other for Sai and himself. The rooms were adjacent to each other but were separated to they split into their pairs. However, after realising the rooms in fact shared a common hallway, a tea table was placed strategically placed in the centre. Despite being a hallway, it was still quite wide for the four ninjas to sit in.

Neji called them for a team meeting soon after dinner. Setting down a cup of hot tea for each person, Hinata took her spot last and as she settled, Neji cleared his throat.

"We are now outside the Fire country," he stated.

"Which means, we are now no longer under the Fire country's protection."

He paused briefly then drew a quick breath.

"Which also means, we no longer have the luxury of back-up teams. While we are all capable ninjas, we are also facing capable ninjas. Dangerous, strong and lawless ninjas. I want to make sure everyone is aware of that. This is a recon mission- nothing more. We are to avoid being spotted, and avoid engaging in battles at all costs. But if we are inevitably drawn to battle, I want you to keep in mind what I have just said- that they are dangerous capable ninjas, far ahead of any of us. I tell you this now because I do not want to see anyone make any stupid mistakes."

The length of the stoic mans words spoke louder volumes than his actual words. Sakura would have laughed if it wasn't for the brutal situation he was warning them about.

By "stupid mistakes" the man was probably referring back to his first speech back in the Fire country's woods. Which was a direct reference to Sakura herself.

Biting the edge of her lips, Sakura remained still, watching small ripples radiate through her tea before she set it down. She could feel Neji's pale eyes trained on her, pressuring her to mark his words. It was suffocating how he was treating her like some wild dog that needed to be leashed. Sakura was the smart one out of team Kakashi afterall, there was no reason to chide her at every speech.

"What are the plans for tomorrow?" Sai 's soft voice fleeted through, breaking the momentary silence and Neji took this cue to start talking again.

"This village is not affiliated with any country and is a stop for many traders. So the villagers are not wary of strangers which make it a perfect stop for many criminals too. Tomorrow we gather information on our targets and their locations."

"Weren't we given their location by Tsunade-sama?"

Neji shook his head delicately.

"The information is… incomplete. It was enough to get us this far but from here on, we work unaided."

Disappointment crossed their faces but it was soon masked away.

"We will work in pairs. Hinata-sama, you will make a pair with Sai and I will make a pair with Sakura. Use whatever means to blend in. The targets know our identities and if we don't remain hidden they'll either kill us or worse, hide away forever."

* * *

Sleep did not come cheaply for Sakura. She had left the hallway as soon as the meeting was over and opted for sleep, in what felt like a second after she had laid her head on the soft pillows, the cleaner had decided to vacuum the floor. The distant rumbling made the wooden floorboards creak every now and then, and even as she stuffed her fingers into her ears, sensitive ninja senses tingled with every vibration that followed through.

Wondering who on earth decided vacuuming wooden floorboards in the middle of the night was a good idea, Sakura twisted in her sheets wondering if Hinata had felt it too, and sure enough, a pair of ethereal pearl orbs could be seen across the room.

Pearls that were currently furiously taking up chakra as they worked the bloodline limit.

"Hinata?" Sakura called cautiously to her in alarm but Hinata did not respond, busily interpreting the near 360 degree vision her bloodline granted. Sakura sat up slowly in a pool of sheets patiently waiting for a reason for this until she felt Hinata's chakra surge ebb away and eyes dim to their usual shade.

"Did you see something?"

The heiress was quiet of a full minute, her eyes growing smaller as her brows knitted together in concentration. When she did eventually reply, Sakura only got a single "no."

A few hours later, Sakura woke to a happier situation. The boards were now still and the room silent except for her and Hinata's slow rhythmical breathing. No flashing eyes and no uncharacteristically short answers. Best of all, Sakura had finally caught up on her much needed sleep.

Yawning, she slipped out of her sheets, fixed a wig over her hair, and quickly exited the room. The common hallway was as she left it last night staging the tea table in the exact centre and four unwashed cups left abandoned upon it. She tiptoed around the mess, dragging a finger across the silk lining against the wall and descended down the stairs to the lobby.

The lobby was already full of patrons heading towards the restaurant to be served breakfast. The inn they were staying in served breakfast early to accommodate for the traders who preferred early starts and Sakura, judging by the sheer number of people already present and leaving, was one of the late-comers. Her green eyes scanned across the multiples of tables dotted around the restaurant in search of a familiar face and there in the far corner she found one. Though her vision was cut off by bustling patrons, she could still see the painter looking decidedly stony today with a small plate full of untouched food in front of him.

Sakura would have made a straight beeline for him. She would have if it weren't for the twenty or so men twice her size blocking any path she could possibly take. Worse yet, breakfast buffet was served this morning which meant every scraping of chair against the wooden floorboard meant another person was returning to join the fray. There was no way she could walk to him without settling into a growing queue and waddle between these traders around the entire restaurant. Resigning to her fate, she picked up the last clean plate, unconsciously blowing at the tip of her fork which still dripped of soapy water and joined the line.

It wasn't until Sakura's hand was aching under the weight of her own plate and her mind and eyes burned under the stress of ensuring her carefully built tower of food would not topple over. Glancing up every now and then with the aid of her ninja instincts, she shuffled along rows and rows of food finally arriving at her destination.

"Growing extra insulation in preparation for winter?" Was Sai's great choice of greeting this morning and Sakura was thankful her chair was pulled out already so she could swing a kick at him.

"Good morning to you too," she gritted, setting her plate down with the utmost care as the painter checked his shin for broken bones.

"From my notes, females constantly suppress their appetite in worry of their figure. They are easily tortured by the words "fat" and "calorie"."

"Not this female. Have you seen the food they have around here?" Waving a hand flamboyantly behind her, Sakura let his comment slide. While Sakura was never one to fixate on maintaining a model-like weight, she did take note of her daily fruit and vegetable intake. It was almost second nature to her being a medic and all, but at the same time, she didn't shut the door on Ino whenever she invited Sakura to pilates classes.

Still the extravagant food being supplied at this inn was incredible. Sakura couldn't even name half the dishes on offer which she took as a sign of prosperity and the mark of a trader's stop town.

"You're already doing seconds, hypocrite." Digging her fork into what appeared to be a type of meat, she stuck her tongue out at him. Sai merely grunted in response.

"Is Mitsu still asleep?" Sai asked and after a spilt second of confusion, Sakura swallowed the meat whole.

"When I left she was but she'll be up soon. What about …um, Tetsu?"

"Tetsu said he had work to do and left half an hour ago. Missing your husband already, Chihiro-chan?"

"More than you're missing your fiancée, Kenji-san." she replied dryly.

By Tetsu and Mitsu, Chihiro and Kenji, the leaf ninjas meant the members in their little team. Regardless of how common or uncommon their names and even hair colour were, Leaf ninjas and the bloodlines the village housed were famous amongst ninjas. So the hallway meeting last night concluded the need to conceal their names as well as appearance. Sakura scratched the pin holding her brown wig in place carefully, almost wincing at how uncomfortable her head felt. The wig wasn't custom made for her head (and it was a sensitive topic for her), and the fake hair felt stiff to touch. Every time she so much as breathed a bit louder, the hair jostled about and poked at her skin around the nape. Also Sakura didn't brown hair suited her. It was rather unflattering against her red clothes.

Greatly aware of her own appearance, Sakura kept fingering the wig held in place. It felt so odd having this –thing- sit on her head while she had her own beautifully managed vibrant pink hair.

'Just for the mission, it's just for the mission' was her mantra for the day, she decided until a hand reached out to her.

A cool hand slowly pushed away Sakura's own smaller hand, and tucked the ugly brown strands behind her ear. The spiky feel of the hair irritated her ear but when the same cool hand slowly wandered up and down the length, it oddly felt much softer.

Sakura woke from her silent shock and lifted her eyes slowly. The atmosphere Sakura felt around the campfire the other night was returning. Her eyes crept up to sneak a look at the man still attending to her hair and found it was different to when he first greeted her. She couldn't quite put a word to it but she could tell the hardened expression he usually chose to wear was slightly loosened.

The voices of the traders, clanking of cutlery and the smell of the exotic food around them vanished in that instant until the offending hand slowly retreated.

The moment the hand disappeared under the table again, the sounds and smells rushed back into place.

"We should finish our meal," he said, and a mechanical smile constructed on his face.

* * *

The town itself was small for a four-man team to be searching, Sakura decided. She and her "husband" had been walking the same street for the last 4 hours under the blazing sun in an attempt to scout out a dirty looking bar that could be home to rogue informants. People, who in the team's opinion would have seen or heard something about the team's target. The Uchihas were famous between criminals- family genocide and village betrayal aside, the ability to stay missing-nins when almost every country had their heads drawn in bingo books was legendary. But even for talented ninjas as themselves, locating a place like this with no information to go off was near impossible.

Sakura could feel her scalp baking under the heavy wig sitting on her head and tightened her hold on the arm she was linked to.

"Tetsu darling, could we make a stop at that café please?" Tetsu's- Neji's arm twitched involuntarily.

"Chihiro… dear. We've only seen half the town."

"Yes but darling, the sun is making me very hot and uncomfortable. My eyes feel like they're roasting."

Sakura squinted her eyes for added effect and imagined the stoic man's pupil-less eyes rolling behind the sunglasses he was sporting. He stopped for a brief moment and surveyed his surroundings. Around him, people were walking slowly past them to hear his response. Sakura had been suggesting a break in her sweetest newlywed wife voice for a while and passers-by within earshot even slowed down a step to hear Neji's reply. With a deep sigh, Neji- Tetsu replied.

"Sa-… my dear, we will take one last break then. After that we're going to finish our walk." and passers-by continued their brisk walk again.

Sakura bounded straight for the shade of the café as Neji trudged over defeatedly. The café itself was quite fancy, elaborate curves held frilly curtains over the window and sparkled in the light. To Neji, it was a place of horror where Sakura's hair could be deemed dull.

But the pair took a seat anyway, ordering cold drinks to the waitress who seemed genuinely jealous of Sakura for her "fine looking" husband.

"My, what a handsome man he is! What a lucky lady you are!" the waitress exclaimed and Sakura smiled sweetly.

"Oh, thank you, he's a real charmer too. But what I really fell for wasn't his face."

"What was it?" The waitress eagerly asked and Neji turned from his seat to face the street outside.

"It was…" with a giggle Sakura leaned in to whisper into the waitress' ear, watching the waitress' face turn bright red as she hastily took the menus and scuttled away behind the counter.

Neji clicked his tongue in disapproval at his wife's antics.

"What did you tell her?"

"Oh, nothing much. Just girl talk."

"I see."

It wasn't until the pair finished their drinks that they were talking again.

The same waitress had returned to give them their bill, hiding her red cheeks and Sakura took it. She scanned the bill carefully and Neji's eyes perked with curiosity when his fake wife began grinning.

"Thank you for the drink darling," Sakura said, slapping the bill in front of him. Neji stared up at Sakura obviously disgruntled at his assumed position as free walking wallet but when a slender finger tapped, his eyes lowered to the bill in front of him.

From the view above him, Sakura was pleased to see his pale eyes widen a fraction in surprise.

Beneath the exuberant sum to pay for the ridiculously overpriced drinks, was a small hand written code.

"_NE.3.-2. "Merry Christmas, Charles!"_"


End file.
